Psalms 78:57

Context

78:57 They were unfaithful¹ and acted as treacherously as² their ancestors;

they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.³

Psalms 52:2

Context

52:2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans;⁴

it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver.⁵

Psalms 120:2-3

Context

120:2 I said,⁶ “O Lord, rescue me⁷

from those who lie with their lips⁸

and those who deceive with their tongue.⁹

120:3 How will he severely punish you,

you deceptive talker?¹⁰

Psalms 32:2

Context

32:2 How blessed is the one¹¹ whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,¹²

in whose spirit there is no deceit.¹³

Psalms 101:7

Context

101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace.¹⁴

Liars will not be welcome in my presence.¹⁵

[78:57] ¹tn Heb “they turned back.”

[78:57] ²tn Or “acted treacherously like.”

[78:57] ³tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”

[52:2] ⁴tn Heb “destruction your tongue devises.”

[52:2] ⁵tn Heb “like a sharpened razor, doer of deceit.” The masculine participle עָשָׂה (’asah) is understood as a substantival vocative, addressed to the powerful man.

[120:2] ⁷tn The words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the introductory note for this psalm.

[120:2] ⁸tn Or “my life.”

[120:2] ⁹tn Heb “from a lip of falsehood.”

[120:2] ¹⁰tn Heb “from a tongue of deception.”

[120:3] ¹⁰tn Heb “What will he give to you, and what will he add to you, O tongue of deception?” The psalmist addresses his deceptive enemies. The Lord is the understood subject of the verbs “give” and “add.” The second part of the question echoes a standard curse formula, “thus the Lord/God will do … and thus he will add” (see Ruth 1:17; 1 Sam 3:17; 14:44; 20:13; 25:22; 2 Sam 3:9, 35; 19:13; 1 Kgs 2:23; 2 Kgs 6:31).

[32:2] ¹³tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”

[32:2] ¹⁴tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”

[32:2] ¹⁵sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.

[101:7] ¹⁶tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”

[101:7] ¹⁷tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”